Sports News

Acorns will be the face of the Bears’ Vitality Blast game against Worcester Rapids after lead partner Talbots Law donated their match sponsorship to the children’s hospice.

Talbots Law – the Bears lead Blast sponsor – has invited Acorns to be their chosen charity for the clash to help raise awareness of their work with local families and much needed funds. Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for life limited and life threatened children across Birmingham, Worcester and the wider West Midlands, as well as support for their families.

Australia finally came out on top in what was a testing and compelling Edgbaston Ashes Test in a two-wicket victory, to take a 1-0 lead in the series against England.

In a breathless match, it was down to the Aussie strike bowlers, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, to win the match for the ‘Baggy Green Caps’ – with the bat. Their unbroken unbeaten knock of 55 at the crease got the tourists over the line to their target of 281 in the final hour of play.

Reigning Olympic champion, Swede Daniel Ståhl and Slovakian 2022 world gold medallist Kristjan Čeh will headline a stellar line-up of Olympic and world medallists in the men’s discus at the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July. With more than 40,000 tickets already sold for the meet, it will be the biggest athletics fixture since the World Athletics Championships London 2017.

Čeh – who threw the joint fourth furthest throw in history at a meeting in Estonia on Friday at 71.86m - has two Diamond League wins to his name so far in 2023 after victories in Doha and Rabat.

With just over a month until the London Athletics Meeting on Sunday 23 July, more than 40,000 tickets have been sold making it the biggest athletics fixture since the World Athletics Championships London 2017. The tenth stop of the Wanda Diamond League series will see the event return to the London Stadium for the first time since 2019 and the best athletes in the world are lining up to compete in the series’ most prestigious fixture.

Several Paralympic medallists will be heading to the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July, joining a stellar programme of events. Five para events will be included in the programme alongside the Wanda Diamond League events, with many of those athletes set to compete returning from the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships which take place in Paris one week prior.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for November’s (5) IAU 50km World Championships in Hyderabad, India, has been announced with seven athletes set to represent at the 2023 edition of the Championships following medal success at the Europeans in 2022.

Andrew Davies – the individual bronze medallist at the 2022 European Championships - returns to the fold as a member of the men’s quartet. He was also part of the gold medal winning men’s team at the Europeans, as was Will Mycroft who will receive his second GB & NI vest at the Championships.

Edgbaston’s status amongst the world's leading cricket venues has been underlined after the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the stadium will host major men’s and women’s international fixtures until 2031.

ECB’s home international schedule – covering the period from 2025-31 – includes a mouth-watering selection of Tests, ODIs and IT20s at the stadium. And it promises to bring a much-welcomed economic boost to the city’s hotels, bars and restaurants – estimated at around a quarter of a billion pounds over the seven years – as well as promoting the West Midlands on a global stage. 

Rhasidat Adeleke moved to 20th in the all-time list for the women's 400m as she won the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) title in the US after smashing her own Irish record by 0.34 seconds in Texas by triumphing in 49.20 seconds.

US star Britton Wilson was the strong favourite for the final but had to settle for second spot in 49.64. Adeleke's win saw her become the first Irish victor at the NCAAs since 2006.

Professional golfer, Richard Mansell, achieved a world-first by completing a hair-raising trick shot from the roof of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, onto the Old Turn Junction Island in the middle of the Birmingham Canal.  

The daring “No Risk, No Reward” trick shot has brought the iconic Belfry Brabazon Course’s 10th hole water hazard to an eager crowd in Birmingham City Centre in anticipation of what’s to come at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo from 29th June-2nd July. Birmingham City Centre, the home of more canals than Venice, made the perfect backdrop to host a reimagining of the internationally-renowned Brabazon water hazard which regularly challenges the most seasoned of professionals.  

On the heels of the recently announced NBA Basketball School in Costa Navarino, a celebratory event took place on Thursday, June 8 to commemorate the unique collaboration. NBA Legend Joakim Noah, along with NBA Executives and NBA International Basketball Operations staff, were present to mark the occasion.

The special event included on-court programming and interaction with 13-year NBA veteran Joakim Noah, an autograph session and basketball clinics focused on the fundamentals of the game including footwork, ball-handling, shooting, team concepts, and halfcourt 3x3 competitions. The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy was also on display to coincide with the 2023 NBA Finals currently taking place featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. 

Thousands of Manchester City fans gathered to celebrate their team's historic Treble as they staged an open-top bus parade through the city as blue flares were set off and fans threw inflatable bananas in the air as several of the players went shirtless in the heavy rain. Manager Pep Guardiola was seen puffing on a cigar as fans climbed lampposts.

The parade was delayed by lightning storms. City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final. Guardiola said: "We had to have rain as this is Manchester. The fans are used to the rain." It comes after the club clinched the Premier League and FA Cup this season.

With less than a month to go until hundreds of athletes from around the world gather together at California State University, Sacramento, to bring hope, healing, and inspiration to communities around the globe struggling with homelessness, the Homeless World Cup and Street Soccer USA today unveiled the Sacramento 2023 Homeless World Cup logo, slated to represent this tournament’s inaugural trip to the United States.

“We are truly excited that the Homeless World Cup will be played in the United States – in Sacramento - for the first time in its 20-year history. From Paris to Cardiff and Melbourne to Cape Town, this world class tournament has been played in some exceptional cities and venues to bring awareness and understanding to this global issue– homelessness,” said Mel Young, Co-Founder and President of the Homeless World Cup Foundation. 

Keely Hodgkinson broke the British record to win the women's 800m at the Paris Diamond League as Faith Kipyegon stunned the crowd by claiming the 5,000m world record. THE British Olympic and world silver medallist won with a time of one minute 55.77 seconds, almost three seconds quicker than the field.

Kipyegon then dominated her race with a time of 14 minutes 5.20 seconds. It was her second world record in a week. The Kenyan smashed the 1500m world record in Florence seven days ago with a time of 3:49.11.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad for the European Team Championships has just been announced. The first division match at the Championships, held in Silesia, Poland on the 23-25 June 2023, will see Great Britain and Northern Ireland go up against 15 other countries across the three days of competition.

UK Athletics has selected a full team with the aim of achieving the highest team placing possible at this Championships, whilst providing development opportunities for a number of athletes.

The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan and Britain’s Eilish McColgan will go head-to-head in an intriguing women’s 5000m at the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July. Double Olympic gold medallist – and recent TCS London Marathon champion – Hassan returns to the track after her fine form on the roads to set up an exciting 5000m contest at the London Stadium.

She has been one of the most successful endurance athletes in the sport’s history, winning global medals in distances ranging from 1500m up to 10,000m, with her triple medal-winning display at the Tokyo 2020 Games [gold in the 5000m and 10,000m, and bronze in the 1500m] further cementing her place in the athletics hall of fame. Her recent success on the roads, with a superb and popular win at the London Marathon in April, further showed her versatility across the distances.

Warwickshire Cricket is celebrating Pride Month by organising the country’s first ever national LGBTQ+ cricket tournament. Teams representing five professional county clubs – Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire – will compete in a round-robin event at Sutton Coldfield CC on Sunday (11 June).

There are only two LGBTQ+ cricket clubs in the UK – including Lapworth-based Birmingham Unicorns – and it’s hoped the inaugural competition will encourage participation across the Network. Warwickshire and the Unicorns have developed a strong partnership since the side formed in 2020 and squad members have benefitted from coaching sessions at Edgbaston’s indoor centre from Bears’ staff and players.